If you were awake just after dawn on Sunday, you might have seen torpedo-like electric vehicles zipping silently through chilly San Antonio streets as part of the Zero Race.

Electric vehicles zip along Interstate 10 early Sunday as part of the Zero Race. The drivers, who started in Switzerland, are headed for the United Nationas Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, this week. less

Electric vehicles zip along Interstate 10 early Sunday as part of the Zero Race. The drivers, who started in Switzerland, are headed for the United Nationas Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, this ... more

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Electric vehicles zip along Interstate 10 early Sunday as part of the Zero Race. The drivers, who started in Switzerland, are headed for the United Nationas Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, this week. less

Electric vehicles zip along Interstate 10 early Sunday as part of the Zero Race. The drivers, who started in Switzerland, are headed for the United Nationas Climate Change Conference in Cancún, Mexico, this ... more

Global electric racers speed through S.A.

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If you were awake just after dawn on Sunday, you might have seen torpedo-like electric vehicles zipping silently through chilly San Antonio streets as part of the Zero Race.

The global zero-emissions road race is more about testing the limits of green transportation than surviving the world's potholes and speeding across continents to the finish line, tour director Louis Palmer said.

The competitors left for Brownsville on Sunday and planned to cross into Mexico today. The Zero Racers will exhibit their vehicles at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancún, which starts today and ends Dec. 10.

"We want to show the leaders that there are solutions available, that electric cars and renewable energy are reliable and affordable," Palmer said.

Though four teams from around the world began the expedition in Geneva, Switzerland, last August, the South Korean team dropped out because of a mechanical problem. That leaves teams from Switzerland, Germany and Australia still striving to finish the contest across more than 15 countries before ending up back in Geneva in January. The competitors transport their vehicles between continents by boat.

Rather than racing against the clock, the teams accrue points for their vehicle's design, reliability and safety, Palmer said. The journey's prize consists mostly of bragging rights - and friends made along the way, he added.

Aside from being greeted by cold weather as they traveled through Texas, the competitors were saddened by the loss of their race symbol, a 15-foot-tall inflatable green zero that disappeared from their trailer in far West Texas.

Frank Loacker, of the Swiss team, readied gear early Sunday morning before jetting out of town in an enclosed electric motorcycle called the Zerotracer. The speedy bike, which resembles a plane's fuselage, can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. Loacker said the team can charge the Zerotracer in about two hours and then travel about 200 miles on the charge.

Loacker said his team has had more challenges navigating traffic than in keeping the vehicle going. He said he found that people in places such as China sometimes drive on the wrong side of the road and don't always use lights at night. Earlier this month, the team also had a collision with a cyclist in Vancouver, Canada. The cyclist suffered several fractured ribs, according to news reports.

Australian competitor Andrew Reynolds of Team Trev said he had an interesting moment in California when a law enforcement officer pulled him over for going too slowly on the freeway. Reynolds said he was trying to conserve battery power until he could reach an outlet.

Even though the teams are powering up at outlets around the world, they are required to produce an equivalent amount of electricity in their home countries using renewable resources such as solar or wind power.

Though the vehicle was designed as a commuter car, Team Trev is driving the bright green two-seater around the world to push its limits. The Spartan ride has no air conditioner, no heater and no radio. Reynolds said he sings, talks to himself or watches traffic to stay entertained and piles on clothes to stay warm.

Krysztopik showed off an electric vehicle design he's still perfecting, saying he hopes others in San Antonio will be inspired by the Zero Racers.

Palmer said the Zero Race has put electric vehicles to the test in a variety of road conditions.